[Dbix-class] Resultset accessors for lazy people, and compile-time checking.

[Peter Rabbitson]

Toby Corkindale wrote:
> Hi,
> Another task I commonly do in DBIC is to access resultsets from the
> $schema object, eg:
> 
> $schema->resultset('MyObject')->find(1);
> 
> Sometimes I make a mistake, and write:
> $schema->resultset('MyObjcet')->find(1);
> 
> However that compiles just fine, and won't get picked up until that bit
> of code is hit at runtime - when it fails.
> 
> Now there are two problems here.
> 1) I like things to fail at compile-time when possible.
> 2) I am fundamentally lazy and like typing less.
> 
> Therefore I'd like to propose that DBIC implements direct accessors for
> resultsets, so that I can type:
> $schema->MyObject->find(1);
> 
> and if I type $schema->MyOBject->find(1) then at compile-time I'll get
> "Can't locate object method "MyOBject" via package My::Schema at foo.pl
> line nnn" which is helpful.
> 
> 
> So, how do you feel about this?

It won't work? :) Perl does not do compile-time method checks, as
methods can be (and are all over the place) added at runtime.

As far as the laziness argument - seems reasonable, but there is
something icky about $schema->resultsetname. Can't put my finger on what
it is exactly that bothers me though. Someone more knowledgeable should
speak up.

> I might hack up a patch to do this if I get some spare time, but
> wondered if greater minds than mine have already considered it and
> discarded it for being a dreadful idea.
> 
> (I'm guessing some code wedged into register_class() or thereabouts
> could do a *{${schema_namespace}::$moniker} = sub { return
> $self->resultset($monikey) }; or something like that. Alternatively via
> AUTOLOAD(), but then you lose the compile-time checking.)
> 

Please please pretty please no AUTOLOAD in dbic code :)